Guess the game PR stunt: we get a burnt doll’s head in the mail

When you write about video games, it's best to open your mail carefully.

Sending goofy things to those of us who write about games is an easy way to get yourself some coverage—we've written about the weird things sent to game writers in the past—but I think no one needs to open a plain cardboard box to find the dead eyes of a plastic doll staring back at them. Not just a doll though, a doll's head. And it's beat to heck. And it doesn't smell very good.

What's going on?

Just so you can share in the WTF-ness of this, here is a picture of what I saw when I opened the package.

Awww, what's in the box?

When I turned the doll's head over, because this was a puzzle that needed some more exploration, I found the name "Rebecca" scratched into the muck.

Wait a minute...

Who do we know who has that name, and had a crazy doll's head? I can only think of one person.

Image courtesy 20th Century Fox

They mostly show games at E3. Mostly.

Aliens: Colonial Marines has been in development since 2006, and it looks like we're finally going to get a chance to see the game in action at E3. Not only that, but Sega believes in the project enough to disfigure dozens of dolls to send to the gaming press. That's dedication!

With Gearbox handling development, and only a few screenshots as updates for the past few years, this is going to be an interesting reveal. As a big fan of the Aliens franchise, I'd love to see a big, loud, war game set in this universe, more James Cameron than David Fincher. We'll let you know what we find out at E3.